The Preserved Counties of Wales are the eight local government counties of Wales, created by the Local Government Act 1972 and abolished by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, namely;
They are known as "preserved counties" since all they no longer exist in the form that they took between the years 1974 and 1996, but the specified geographic areas still used for the purposes of appointing the sheriffs and lord-lieutenants of Wales.
The "preserved counties" remain as they were defined in the original legislation except that the The Preserved Counties (Amendment to Boundaries) (Wales) Order 2003, redefined the boundaries in certain cases as follows;
- The Preserved County of Clwyd comprises the areas of the counties and county boroughs of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and Conwy.
- The Preserved County of Gwynedd comprises the areas of the counties of Anglesey and Gwynedd.
- The Preserved County of Gwent comprises the areas of the counties and county boroughs of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Newport and Caerphilly.
- The Preserved County of Mid Glamorgan comprises the areas of the county boroughs of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taff.
- The Preserved County of South Glamorgan comprises the areas of the county and county boroughs of Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan.
Table of References
- http://www.gazetteer-wales.co.uk/admin.htm
- www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/ wales/wsi2003/20030974e.htm